In general, a heat sink is a thermally conductive device that dissipates heat from one or more circuit board components into the surrounding air. An air stream generated by a fan assembly then carries the heat away. Such operation enables the circuit board components to operate in a lower temperature range without increasing the likelihood of operating incorrectly and/or sustaining damage. Examples of circuit board components that use heat sinks include high speed processors, Field Programmable Gate Arrays, and optical transceivers.
There are a variety of conventional approaches for mounting a heat sink to a circuit board component. One conventional approach (hereinafter referred to as the “adhesive approach”) involves the circuit board manufacturer (or supplier) affixing the heat sink to the component package using an adhesive (e.g., tape, glue, combinations thereof, etc.) having a high thermal transfer coefficient. In this approach, the manufacturer applies the adhesive between the circuit board component and the heat sink. Glue-like material within the adhesive then cures (perhaps with the addition of heat) to fasten the heat sink directly to the outer surface of the component package. Accordingly, when the component is in operation, the heat sink, which is now held in place by the adhesive, conveys heat from the component into the surrounding air.
Another conventional approach (hereinafter referred to as the “adjacent anchor approach”) involves the circuit board manufacturer providing mounting holes in circuit board locations surrounding the circuit board component. In this approach, the manufacturer then installs anchors (i.e., threaded metallic posts, nuts, U-shaped elements, etc.) on the circuit board through the mounting holes. The manufacturer secures the anchors to the circuit board using either hardware or solder joints. Next, the manufacturer places the heat sink over the top of the component, perhaps with thermal transfer material disposed between the heatsink and the top of the component package to facilitate heat transfer therebetween. Next, the manufacturer rigidly secures the heat sink to the anchors. As a result, when the component is in operation, the heatsink, which is now held rigidly in place by the anchors, conducts heat from the component and dissipates that heat into a neighboring air stream.
In yet another conventional approach (hereinafter referred to as the “clip approach”), the heatsink includes built-in clips. During installation, the manufacturer positions the clips so that the clips grab directly on to the sides of the component package to secure the heatsink to the component package.